ADHD in the News - January 23, 2014

A weekly news digest** from the National Resource Center on ADHD: A Program of CHADD

"Assessing nonresponsiveness to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder treatment requires a bit of detective work, according to Dr. Laurence L. Greenhill. The reason can be as simple as a little kid not being able to swallow a big pill, or as complex as a dysfunctional family dynamic that interferes with medication adherence. But once the problem is rooted out and addressed, most refractory patients can experience a good response, Dr. Greenhill said at a psychopharmacology update held by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry..." Full Story

Explaining the Rise in ADHD (Medscape, January 17, 2014)

"This is Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman of Columbia University, speaking to you today for Medscape. I want to comment on an article that appeared in the New York Times on December 14, 2013,...followed on December 18 by an editorial...The articles point the finger at drug company advertising and marketing, including aggressive marketing to doctors and direct-to-consumer marketing...It is hard to know how much of the increase [in ADHD] is attributable to marketing, but other factors contributing to the increased rate in the United States must be considered. These reasons are more sociological than financial or clinical..." Full Story

Mindfulness Training May Help Focus Attention (Medscape, January 21, 2014)

"University of Miami students who participated in brief mindfulness training (MT) during an academic semester said they felt more "on task" after the training period – a feeling backed up by an objective test of mind wandering. The researchers believe brief MT should be studied further in academic settings for its ability to help college students focus on their work. The study was published online January 6 in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience..." Full Story

Antipsychotics helpful in subset of kids with ADHD (FoxNews, January 22, 2014)

"An increasing number of kids with ADHD are not only taking stimulants to control their attention issues – but are being put on powerful antipsychotics like Abilify and Risperdal to control. The use of these medications in children remains somewhat controversial...Yet a new study, recently published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, suggests that the treatment may benefit some children..." Full Story

Adopted children missing out on mental health treatments (Medical Xpress, January 22, 2014)

Common disorders, such as ADHD or conduct disorder, are being 'grossly under-identified' amongst adopted and fostered children, according to a new study by King's College London. Instead, clinicians are over-identifying more complex 'attachment disorders', and as a result children are missing out on appropriate treatments. The findings are published today in the journal Child and Adolescent Mental Health..." Full Story

Initiative increases focus on the health of boys (USA Today, January 22, 2014)

"Adolescent boys and young-adult males do not see doctors or access the health care system nearly as much as teen girls and young women -- and that gap has significant health consequences for guys throughout their lives, says a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group. To help health care providers better serve young men and teens, The Partnership for Male Youth today is launching a free, Web-based clinical toolkit..." Full Story